About the Book

This is a collection of letters written by the nine African American defendants in the infamous March 1931 Scottsboro, Alabama, rape case. Though most of the defendants were barely literate and all were teenagers when incarcerated, over the course of almost two decades in prison they learned the rudiments of effective letter writing and in doing so forcefully expressed a wide range of perspectives on the falsity of the charges against them as their incarceration became a cause célèbre both in the United States and internationally. Central to this book is the chronologically structured presentation of letters (1931–1950), including some correspondence from attorneys and members of Scottsboro support committees. The original grammar, syntax and vernacular of the defendants are maintained in a desire to preserve the authenticity of these letters.

About the Author(s)

Kwando Mbiassi Kinshasa is a professor of African American Studies at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York.

Book Reviews & Awards

“Remains in our historical memory, both questioning and defining civil rights in Depression America…remarkably gives the case a new perspective…strongly recommended”—Library Journal; “though many of the Scottsboro Nine were illiterate at the time of their arrest, the letters collected here show their intellectual development as they grew from youth caught up in the usual mistreatment of blacks in the rural South to men part of an international cause célèbre”—Booklist; “this book makes a much-needed contribution to the scholarship on the Scottsboro case, and is strongly recommended for researchers and faculty interested in race and the criminal justice system. Highly recommended”—Choice.